Crozes-Hermitage Rouge 2013

Domaine Philippe & Vincent Jaboulet

Terroir: Crozes-Hermitage is the largest vineyard amongst the northern appellations, producing both red and white wines. This Crozes-Hermitage red is made entirely from estate-grown grapes, like all the wines produced by the estate. It is made 100% of syrah grape with vines averaging 35 years old. The soil is composed of alluvial deposit and small pebbles, typical of Crozes Hermitage. The pebbles capture the heat during the day and release it at night, which helps maturation of the grapes. The goal is to produce a fruity wine, fresh, with a good tannic structure.

Vinification: Philippe and Vincent practice a sustainable farming, respecting the nature as much as possible. They received the HEV certification (sustainable certification) which guarantees high level of environmental performance. This certification was created as a contribution to the implementation of the agro-ecological project launched by the French Minister in December 2012. To improve complexity, they lower the yields to 35-40hl/ha, by practicing green harvest and planting vines closer to each other forcing the vines to compete against each other which naturally regulate the yields. The grapes are hand-harvested, destemmed and chilled for 24 to 48 hours in order to preserve the aromas of the fruit and spread out the work in the winery. The fermentation occurs in temperature controlled stainless steel or concrete vats, in cold temperature, to extract more fruit. Maceration lasts three to four weeks, which is long. Both Pump-overs and punch-downs are performed twice a day. The goal is to extract color, aromas and tannins to express the terroir. It also requires longer ageing. The wine is aged for 24 months in stainless steel and concrete tank (80%) and in oak barrels and stainless steel vats (20%). No new oak is used.